All language subtitles for Unearthed.2016.S11E03.1080p.WEB.h264-CBFM_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR: Egypt,
the land of pyramids,

and the Valley of the Kings,
grand tombs for great pharaohs.

Hundreds of royal mummies
are discovered here,

but the body of one iconic ruler
is missing --

Alexander the Great, conqueror
of ancient Egypt.

Alexander the Great is a name
who rings through history.

NARRATOR: One of the world's
most successful

military commanders.

military commanders.

Worshipped as a god.

NARRATOR: Now, explorers
are on a mission...

Wow.

...to find the lost tomb
of Alexander.

Where is Alexander buried?

What does his tomb look like?

And how was he lost
to history?

ARTO: Finding his tomb
would be one of

the most incredible
and earth-shattering

archeological discoveries ever.

NARRATOR:
To solve these mysteries,

we unearth
millennia-old tombs,

we blow apart
ancient structures,

digitally reconstruct
Alexander's lost tomb

and his magnificent mausoleum

to investigate one of
history's most

enduring mysteries,

the hunt for the lost tomb of
Alexander the Great.

Alexandria, Egypt,

founded by Alexander the Great
in 331 BCE.

He is one of the most
celebrated names in all history

and wages one of the most

successful military campaigns
of all time.

He had both the charisma
to command his troops

while at the same time being
a master military tactician.

while at the same time being
a master military tactician.

NARRATOR: By the age of 20,
Alexander conquers all

of Greece.

Then he invades Egypt
and becomes a pharaoh.

At 30,
he is king of Persia,

ruling the largest empire
in the world.

Egyptologist
Arto Belekdanian

is fascinated by
Alexander the Great

and his military prowess.

and his military prowess.

ARTO: This map shows
the conquests of Alexander

the Great -- from his home in
Macedonia in 334 BC,

he sets out on his epic
struggle against

the Persians, and he defeats
all in his way.

NARRATOR: But Alexander's
success is short-lived.

He is cut down in his prime,
aged just 32.

There are several conflicting
reports, but most sources agree

that there was
a long period of high fever.

that there was
a long period of high fever.

NARRATOR:
Alexander is one of the most

powerful men who ever lives.

He is worthy of
a magnificent burial.

According to legend,
when Alexander dies,

his embalmers preserve
his body in honey.

They dress him
in his military outfit

before encasing his corpse
in a golden coffin.

before encasing his corpse
in a golden coffin.

The gold is later replaced
with glass.

He is sealed in
a stone sarcophagus.

Where is this great conqueror's
final resting place?

And what does his tomb
look like?

ARTO: The location of
the tomb of Alexander

ARTO: The location of
the tomb of Alexander

the Great is one of
archaeology's absolute

greatest mysteries.

People have been hunting
for it for centuries.

NARRATOR:
Alexander dies in Babylon,

the most spectacular city
of the ancient world.

Priests embalm his body.

Then his generals begin
the long journey to

take Alexander back to
his homeland in Macedonia.

But during the journey,
they run into trouble.

One of the best
sources describing

One of the best
sources describing

what happened comes from
the Parian marble.

NARRATOR: The Parian marble is
a chronological list of

ancient events.

It is carved by
the ancient Greeks

around 60 years
after Alexander dies.

ARTO:
And it reads,

Alexander was laid
to rest in Memphis,

not in Macedonia.

NARRATOR: After attending
a banquet in Babylon in 323 BCE,

NARRATOR: After attending
a banquet in Babylon in 323 BCE,

Alexander the Great falls ill
and dies.

Two years later, his perfectly
preserved body leaves Babylon

in a majestic
funerary procession

to return to Macedonia.

But Alexander's closest
general, Ptolemy,

diverts the convoy to Memphis,
the ancient capital of Egypt.

Ptolemy follows
a Macedonian custom

Ptolemy follows
a Macedonian custom

of burying his predecessor
so that

he can assert his own
right to the throne.

Arto heads to Saqqara,
the necropolis

of Memphis, in search of
Alexander's tomb.

Here, we have tombs
dating back

to the very dawn of
Egyptian history.

NARRATOR: Saqqara is where the
ancient Egyptians build

NARRATOR: Saqqara is where the
ancient Egyptians build

the very first pyramid,

the revolutionary step pyramid
of Djoser.

This necropolis
is a fitting place

for any pharaoh
to be buried.

Arto starts his search in
the cemetery of

the 30th Dynasty.

It is in use just before
Alexander

takes control of Egypt.

This site is first
excavated in 1850

by French archaeologist,
Auguste Mariette.

Beneath the sand,

Mariette finds an avenue lined
with statues of sphinxes

that leads to the ruins of
an Egyptian temple,

one of the last to be built
before Alexander conquers Egypt.

On the southern side,
he discovers a chamber

just the right size for
a pharaoh's sarcophagus.

Guarding the entrance of
the temple,

Guarding the entrance of
the temple,

an unusual semi-circle of
12 statues,

not of Egyptian gods
but of Greek philosophers.

Could this be the tomb of
Alexander the Great?

Wow.

Look at that.

So here are the statues,
the statues of the philosophers,

the writers.

NARRATOR: The statues show signs
of erosion

from long exposure to
the elements.

But Arto can make out
some key details.

ARTO: We can instantly tell
that they're

done in the Greek classical
Hellenistic tradition.

The pose,
the dress, everything --

that is decidedly
not Egyptian.

NARRATOR: The statues have been
dated to around 300 BCE,

shortly after Alexander is
laid to rest.

Arto believes the identity of
the statues is

a clue that Alexander
could be buried here.

a clue that Alexander
could be buried here.

We've got Homer, Plato,

Pindar,

and then Demetrius,

the leading philosopher
at the time of Ptolemy.

Alexander the Great definitely
would have been familiar

with at least some
of these people here,

and he received
an excellent education.

NARRATOR: The statues of
Alexander's revered

Greek philosophers is

persuasive evidence that
this could be his tomb.

persuasive evidence that
this could be his tomb.

But there is one discrepancy.

This tomb is distinctly
Egyptian in style.

Arto turns to
Auguste Marriott's photos

from his excavations
to understand why,

and he finds
something intriguing

ARTO: It shows a king in
the company of a goddess.

We've got hieroglyphic
inscriptions, including,

best of all,
cartouches,

allowing us to identify
who this king is.

allowing us to identify
who this king is.

And it's Nectanebo II.

NARRATOR: The tomb is originally
built for Nectanebo II,

the last native Egyptian pharaoh
before Alexander,

but he never uses it.

There it was,
a royal monument

befitting a pharaoh,
just not being used.

And it is entirely possible
that Ptolemy used it

for Alexander.

for Alexander.

NARRATOR: But contemporary
accounts reveal that

Alexander's body doesn't stay
in Memphis for long.

ARTO: Ancient sources
tell us that the body

of Alexander the Great was
moved from Memphis

to Alexandria.

NARRATOR: In 305 BCE,
Ptolemy becomes pharaoh

and moves the capital of Egypt
from Memphis to Alexandria.

His successor,
Ptolemy Philadelphus, removes

His successor,
Ptolemy Philadelphus, removes

the body of Alexander
from Memphis

so that it can be buried in
the new capital.

It's possible
Philadelphus uses

the sarcophagus of
Nectanebo II

to transport the great conqueror
to Alexandria,

before laying his body
to rest in

a grand Macedonian tomb
at the heart of the city.

Finding his tomb
would be one of

the most incredible and
earth-shattering archeological

discoveries ever.

NARRATOR:
Is Alexander the Great's

ultimate tomb in Alexandria?

Can a monumental structure on

the city's outskirts
reveal clues?

NARRATOR: Alexandria,

the jewel of Egypt,

named after its founder,
Alexander the Great,

the Macedonian warrior king
who becomes pharaoh.

Arto Belekdanian

is on the hunt for Alexander's
tomb in Egypt's

ancient capital.

ARTO: Ancient sources
tell us that the body

ARTO: Ancient sources
tell us that the body

of Alexander the Great was moved

from Memphis to Alexandria
and buried somewhere

in the city.

NARRATOR: He starts his mission
at a mysterious

white alabaster tomb on
the edge of Alexandria.

ARTO: This tomb was
excavated in 1907,

and it is believed to date
to the very dawn

of the Ptolemaic Period.

So we're talking Ptolemy I,
Ptolemy II, during whose reigns

is when the body of Alexander
was moved from Memphis

is when the body of Alexander
was moved from Memphis

to Alexandria.

NARRATOR:
In its original form,

this large alabaster doorway
lies under a mound of earth,

a typical feature of
a Macedonian tomb.

The entrance leads to a burial

chamber for an important
Macedonian figure.

Could this be Alexander's
last resting place?

The burial chamber
is lost to history.

So Arto starts
his investigation

in the entrance chamber.

ARTO: Just looking at this
monument, you can tell that this

belongs to someone
immensely influential.

I mean, first of all, just
the simple size of it,

and the fact
that it's made

and the fact
that it's made

of this beautiful alabaster
and monolithic,

massive blocks of it,
as well.

To get alabaster of this
quality was a vast expense,

something that only royalty
could afford.

NARRATOR:
Arto compares the structure to

the entrance of
Alexander's father's tomb ,

which is unearthed
in northern Greece.

We can tell that these are
done in the same tradition.

We can tell that these are
done in the same tradition.

They are remarkably similar.

So we've got this doorway,

a facade, that leads into
the chambers inside,

and it's all under a mound.

NARRATOR: The entrance has
the same layout as Alexander's

father's tomb.

And Arto believes it looks
identical on the outside, too.

This was not meant to be seen.

This would have been
underground, under the tumulus,

the hill.

the hill.

NARRATOR:
Arto pieces together the clues.

ARTO: What we have here
is a lavish tomb

that is done in a purely
Greco-Macedonian style,

and it dates to very early on in
the Ptolemaic period,

so Ptolemy I,
Ptolemy II.

What that means is

this is a very strong
contender for

the tomb of Alexander
the Great in Alexandria.

the tomb of Alexander
the Great in Alexandria.

NARRATOR:
But when archeologists search

for the larger burial chamber

that should connect to
the entrance chamber,

they find nothing.

Instead, they discover
a surprising feature.

Less than three feet
from the structure,

experts unearth
a well, built more

than 600 years
after Alexander's death.

What does it reveal
about the origin of the tomb?

ARTO: The fact that
the alabaster tomb is

ARTO: The fact that
the alabaster tomb is

right here above the well
that is supposedly much

later in date has led some to
argue that the alabaster tomb

is not sitting
in its original location,

but rather that it was
moved here.

NARRATOR: The evidence suggests
the tomb is moved from

the city center to where
it stands now.

This aligns remarkably with
historical sources, which state

that Alexander's first tomb

that Alexander's first tomb

is only temporary before he is
moved to something more lavish.

What this means is
the alabaster tomb may very well

be the first tomb of Alexander
the Great in Alexandria.

NARRATOR: Alexander
views himself as a god

and son of the almighty
Greek deity, Zeus.

His successors promote
his God-King image in

His successors promote
his God-King image in

a cult to legitimize their own
divine rule over Egypt.

To strengthen the dynastic
cult, Ptolemy IV Philopator

removes Alexander from

his tomb to place him in a new
royal monument called the Soma.

This grand edifice not only
contains the body of Alexander

but also the ashes of
the three first Ptolemaic kings.

This was
a very clever PR move.

By doing so, Ptolemy IV
forged a link in

the public mind between
Alexander the Great

and his dynasty,

thus having the divinity
of Alexander the Great

reflect onto
his own dynasty.

NARRATOR:
Even in death,

Alexander wields
significant power.

Ptolemy IV
uses this connection

to the iconic ruler
to his advantage.

to the iconic ruler
to his advantage.

Where is the Soma, the final
resting place of Alexander?

Could clues in an ancient map

reveal the location of
Alexander's last mausoleum,

a structure so grand,
it could

even rival one
of the Seven Wonders?

NARRATOR: Alexander the Great is
buried in two temporary tombs

before he is finally laid to
rest in a grand mausoleum,

the Soma, in the center of
his capital city, Alexandria.

But its location is lost
from the history books.

Archaeologist Alicia Johnson
joins the search.

When you're on the hunt
for Alexander the Great,

When you're on the hunt
for Alexander the Great,

you have to think like
a detective, you have to dig

through the pitfalls.

But in the end,
it's exciting, because

we are in the search
of a legend.

NARRATOR: Alicia believes
that the lavish

Soma lies somewhere
beneath modern Alexandria.

She begins her search
at Qaitbay Citadel,

a 15th century CE fort
located by Alexandria's

great harbor.

It gives her a spectacular
view across the ancient city.

It gives her a spectacular
view across the ancient city.

Alexandria is
the largest city in antiquity.

Ancient texts describe
the great monuments

spread across the capital,

temples dedicated
to Greek and Egyptian gods,

vast palaces,
a famed library.

and a majestic lighthouse
over the harbor.

and a majestic lighthouse
over the harbor.

Ptolemy IV reburies
Alexander in

a grand mausoleum
somewhere in the city,

but the ancient city is all
buried beneath

modern Alexandria.

Where is Alexander buried?

The first clue comes
from Roman

poet Lucan,
who describes the Soma.

"Though you preserve Alexander
in the consecrated grotto,

"and the ashes of the kings
rest beneath a loftily

"and the ashes of the kings
rest beneath a loftily

"constructed edifice,

"though the dead Ptolemies
and their unworthy

"dynasty are covered by
indignant pyramids

and mausoleums..."

NARRATOR: This could mean
Alexander's mausoleum has

a triangular
or pyramid-shaped roof.

And the clue ties in
with an intriguing

inscription left behind
by a Roman trader,

Julius Philosyrius.

As a trader,
he more than most likely

would have visited Alexandria,

would have visited Alexandria,

and on his sarcophagus,

there's quite
an interesting inscription

in regards to the possible
location of

Alexander the Great.

NARRATOR: The sarcophagus
shows a harbor scene

with a lighthouse on
the right -- on the left,

a structure that resembles
the royal palace,

and in between the two,
a tall building with

a triangular-shaped roof,
just as the Soma is described

by Lucan.

Alicia wants to narrow down
the tomb's location

Alicia wants to narrow down
the tomb's location

by comparing the inscription
on the sarcophagus to the known

location of ancient landmarks.

We are at the modern day
Qaitbay Citadel, which is

the location for where
the ancient lighthouse of

Alexandria was constructed.

NARRATOR:
The lighthouse of Alexandria is

a marvel of engineering,

one of the seven wonders
of the ancient world.

It stands up to 360 feet
and dominates the skyline

It stands up to 360 feet
and dominates the skyline

of Alexandria.

Alicia has identified
the first clue.

The Soma must lie between here
and the royal palace.

She examines further
written references.

ALICIA: A final clue comes
from the ancient Greek

author, Zenobius.

He claimed that the Soma was in

the center of the heart
of Alexandria.

And while it's not exactly
very specific,

And while it's not exactly
very specific,

we can refer back to ancient
maps to maybe be able to

consider where might Alexander
have been buried?

NARRATOR: The clues lead
Alicia to one of

the oldest roads that runs
through modern Alexandria.

ALICIA: We're right near
El Horreya, which is an ancient

road that has followed its way
for thousands of years.

NARRATOR: El Horreya is
the principal road of

the ancient city, running east
to west through the center.

And it's really useful for me,
because it allows me to be

able to orientate myself when
evaluating and researching

ancient maps of the city.

NARRATOR: Alicia investigates
a map drawn by Egyptian

cartographer, Mahmud Bey,
in the late 1800s.

It's one of the most
accurate maps we have

of ancient Alexandria.

Maps such as these help

us to be able to consider
where might ancient sites be

found in modern day locations.

NARRATOR: Mahmud marks
the junction of El Horreya

and a second unnamed road as
the center of the ancient city.

The ancient crossroads must be
somewhere along the El Horreya,

the main road that still runs
through the heart of the city.

Legends say Alexander
designs his city

by marking out the boundaries
using barley flour.

Thousands of birds flock down
to eat the flour.

Thousands of birds flock down
to eat the flour.

But Alexander's prophet
takes this as a good omen

that the city will
provide for its people.

The city borders
are said to take

the shape of a Macedonian
military cloak, and inside,

the planners lay out streets
in a series of grids.

At its heart,
the two main roads intersect to

form the most prestigious
crossroad of Alexandria.

Further up El Horreya,

Alicia stops at
a large crossroads.

ALICIA: The crossroads at the
heart of the city of Alexandria.

Logically speaking,
this might be

where Alexander the Great
is buried.

NARRATOR: Today, very little of
the ancient city survives.

But all the clues suggest
Alexander's grand

But all the clues suggest
Alexander's grand

mausoleum lies right here
beneath this modern crossroads.

The Roman texts
described the famous Soma

towering over the city for
over 600 years.

But by 390 CE,
this iconic monument

is never mentioned again.

It is wiped from history.

ALICIA: What happens
to him is a mystery.

ALICIA: What happens
to him is a mystery.

Where had
Alexander the Great gone?

NARRATOR: What happens to
Alexander's grand mausoleum?

Could the discovery of
2,000-year-old ruins

reveal what it looks like?

NARRATOR: Alexander the Great,
one of history's most

enigmatic figures.

He builds one of the greatest
empires the world has

ever seen,

and at the age of just 32,
he dies.

He is buried in a grand
mausoleum in Alexandria,

where his tomb,

the Soma, vanishes from history.

What it looks like has been
a mystery

for thousands of years.

Investigator Andrew Chugg

is at the British Museum
in search

of clues to the design of
Alexander's mausoleum.

He begins his investigation
at statues found at

the ruins of one of
the wonders

of the ancient world,

the mausoleum of Halicarnassus.

ANDREW: Here's a horse from
a tomb at Halicarnassus.

ANDREW: Here's a horse from
a tomb at Halicarnassus.

To give you an idea of
the scale of this tomb,

this is one of four horses
that stood

at the apex of its stepped
pyramidal roof.

NARRATOR: Andrew believes
there is a connection

between the mausoleum
and Alexander's own tomb.

The clue again comes from
the Roman poet, Lucan.

ANDREW: The interesting point
here is that the poet Lucan,

in describing Alexander's tomb
in Alexandria, also calls it

specifically a mausoleum.

specifically a mausoleum.

So he's drawing a link
between Alexander's tomb

in Alexandria
and the spectacular tomb

of Mausolus
in Halicarnassus.

NARRATOR: The Mausoleum of
Halicarnassus is a towering

monument, built just 25 years
before Alexander dies,

built for King Mausolus
the Greek Kingdom, Caria,

whose name gives us the word

mausoleum to describe
a monumental tomb.

Can this monument unlock what
Alexander's tomb looks like?

ANDREW: Here is a statue
of King Mausolus

taken from his tomb,

the tomb that we call
the Mausoleum.

It was indeed
the very first mausoleum,

named after this king.

NARRATOR: Philip IV,
the Greek pharaoh who

builds Alexander's tomb
calls it a mausoleum.

The deliberate use of
the specific new word

The deliberate use of
the specific new word

suggests that
the buildings look alike.

So Alexander's tomb is
a grand, columned building,

which stands on top of

a great pedestal with
a pyramidal-shaped roof.

ANDREW:
Ptolemy Philopator

was building a mausoleum,
not just for Alexander,

but also for
his own ancestors.

He wanted to build
a quintessentially

Greek monument

in Alexandria to celebrate
them as Greek kings.

in Alexandria to celebrate
them as Greek kings.

So that's probably why
he chose to use the mausoleum

at Halicarnassus
as his model.

NARRATOR:
And there is strong evidence

Alexander saw the mausoleum at
Halicarnassus for himself.

In 367 BCE,

King Mausolus rules part of

the eastern Mediterranean from
his palace in Halicarnassus.

After a 24-year reign,
Mausolus dies,

leaving his wife,
Artemisia, heartbroken.

[sobbing noises]

Inspired by nearby monuments,

she builds her husband
a grand tomb

that, over time,
takes on his name,

the Mausoleum.

Seventeen years later,
Alexander the Great

captures Halicarnassus.

The retreating Persians
set fire to the city,

The retreating Persians
set fire to the city,

but the great Mausoleum
is spared.

Halicarnassus is destroyed
in a series of earthquakes

in the Middle Ages.

But historical records talk of
its spectacular height.

Ancient sources indicate that
the mausoleum at Halicarnassus,

the original Mausoleum,
was about 45 meters high.

We don't have a specific
record of the height of

Alexander's tomb,

but I think we can imagine it
must have been at least on

but I think we can imagine it
must have been at least on

the same scale.

NARRATOR:
Only the statues remain of

the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus.

But remarkably,
the tomb that inspired it

is itself in
the British Museum.

It is called
the Nereid Monument.

It is extraordinarily
well preserved,

so Andrew can examine
its features close up.

ANDREW: It has bands of
sculpture around its podium.

It has a roof supported
on an array of columns.

It has a roof supported
on an array of columns.

This is giving you
a good idea of the kind of

style that you would expect to
see in Alexander's tomb

in Alexandria.

NARRATOR:
Piecing together the clues,

it is now possible
to reconstruct

what Alexander's mausoleum
may look like.

For centuries,
Alexander the Great

lies in his glass coffin,

set within the sarcophagus
of Nectanebo II

set within the sarcophagus
of Nectanebo II

and is placed inside a giant
mausoleum of Greek design,

the Soma.

According to ancient texts,

this monument stands at
the heart of a sacred burial

ground for Ptolemaic kings

in the royal quarter
of Alexandria,

a fitting final resting place
for the great warrior king.

a fitting final resting place
for the great warrior king.

ANDREW:
This man had become a god.

Alexander's tomb would have
been an absolutely

spectacular monument,
probably greater

even than one of
the Seven Wonders,

the Mausoleum
at Halicarnassus.

NARRATOR: Alexander's mausoleum
is one of the most spectacular

buildings in the ancient world

and becomes a place of holy
pilgrimage for some of the most

important names in history.

ANDREW: A succession of notable
Romans -- Julius Caesar,

Augustus Caesar, Hadrian.

Coming to worship at this
shrine is the only place that

you could see a tomb of

an actual God
in the Roman Empire.

NARRATOR: Alexander's tomb
rivals the Seven Wonders

of the ancient world,

but it vanishes from history.

Could clues at an ancient
temple in Alexandria

reveal its fate?

NARRATOR: Alicia Johnson
is searching for clues

to why no trace of Alexander
the Great's mausoleum,

the Soma, remains in
modern Alexandria.

She heads to the ruins of
the Serapeum,

an ancient temple in
the center of the city.

ALICIA:
While it might not look like

much right now,
during the Ptolemaic time,

this was a fascinating
and fabulous temple complex.

this was a fascinating
and fabulous temple complex.

NARRATOR: In the west of
the city, on a hill,

stands the most magnificent
temple of Alexandria,

the Serapeum.

Inside, a statue of the Greek
Egyptian hybrid god, Serapis,

promoted by Ptolemy I
to unify his two peoples.

The cult of Serapis grows
even stronger in the Roman era

The cult of Serapis grows
even stronger in the Roman era

but comes to a violent end

when this temple is destroyed
in 391 CE.

What can this lost temple

reveal about Alexander's
missing tomb?

Alicia thinks the sphinxes at

the temple's entrance
hold the answer.

They were created with love
and attention to detail,

because these monuments
weren't just statues.

because these monuments
weren't just statues.

They were deities,
they had power.

However, as you can see,
a part of the sphinx is missing.

The nose was cut off in
an attempt to remove the power

that was held within
these monuments.

NARRATOR: Ancient Egyptians
believe that the nose

is the source of
the sculpture's power.

Cutting it off would cause
the spirit inside to

stop breathing.

So to remove the power of
one of these sphinxes by

So to remove the power of
one of these sphinxes by

cutting off their nose was
an attack on the ancient

Egyptian religion.

It was a deliberate act
of vandalism.

NARRATOR:
Alicia unearths evidence

of the identity of the vandal,

the man who could also be
responsible for the ultimate

fate of Alexander.

ALICIA:
So what we have here is

a manuscript that dates back
to the fifth century.

But the figure
that's featured in

the manuscript is a man
named Theophilus.

Theophilus is the Christian
patriarch of Alexandria

at the end of
the 4th century CE.

at the end of
the 4th century CE.

ALICIA: What we see
here in this image

is the Theophilus
standing on top

of a building that we can
recognize as the Serapeum --

in his hand,
holding the Christian Bible,

and stomping on the building.

It represents the complete
destruction of the pagan

religion that pre-existed
the incoming Christian ideology.

This image tells me
that the Serapeum

was deliberately destroyed by
competing religious forces.

was deliberately destroyed by
competing religious forces.

NARRATOR: In 391 CE,
Theophilus

orders Christians
to mock pagan objects

in a parade
through Alexandria.

A fight breaks out, but
the Christians outnumber

the pagans and force them to
seek refuge in the Serapeum.

Theophilus receives orders
from Rome to pardon

the pagans and remove them
from their hideout.

the pagans and remove them
from their hideout.

Then, his soldiers and some
monks destroy the Serapeum

and other pagan buildings.

This was an incredibly
significant moment in

world history,
the destruction of the Serapeum,

and it starts to mark
the descent of

the pagan religion in
the transition into the new

Christian religion.

Considering Alexander
the Great was likely deified,

Considering Alexander
the Great was likely deified,

it is not surprising
that we can consider

the concept that maybe
Alexander the Great's mausoleum

was destroyed

in addition to other
pagan monuments.

NARRATOR:
The triumph of Christianity

in the Roman Empire is
devastating for pagan religions

across the ancient world.

The magnificent mausoleum
of Alexander the Great

The magnificent mausoleum
of Alexander the Great

and his tomb and mummified body
are unlikely to

have survived the catastrophe.

Alexander's holy tomb may have

been destroyed
by the Christians,

but clues suggest his body
might have survived.

Can startling
new evidence prove that

his body is swapped
for someone else?

NARRATOR: Alexander the Great,
one of

history's most celebrated
military commanders.

He dies at the age of just 32

and is buried in
a grand mausoleum,

which vanishes from history.

It's thought his body
is lost with his tomb.

But historian Andrew Chugg
has another theory.

It involves a surprising name
from history,

It involves a surprising name
from history,

Saint Mark.

ANDREW: Saint Mark is
the author of the gospel

according to Saint Mark in
the New Testament.

He then goes to Egypt, where
he becomes the first patriarch

in Egypt, the founder of
Christianity in Egypt.

NARRATOR:
Conservator Ferdinando Forlati

excavates Saint Mark's tomb
in Venice in the 1960s.

He did a series of excavations,
and in the course of

He did a series of excavations,
and in the course of

those excavations,

he discovers a huge block of
what he initially thought was

Roman sculpture.

NARRATOR: The beautifully carved
block depicts a lance

and a large shield with a star
emblem in the center.

ANDREW: That's the emblem
of Alexander's family.

We see that emblem on
the funeral casket

of his father, Philip.

It's very much the emblem that
we would expect to see on

It's very much the emblem that
we would expect to see on

the shield of Alexander
the Great.

NARRATOR: It's a clue that makes
Andrew suspect the tomb

of Saint Mark could contain
the lost body of Alexander.

And he has more evidence
for this startling theory.

Saint Mark dies in Alexandria
in 68 CE,

but his tomb is not
mentioned in

ancient literature until
centuries after his death.

This is around the same time

This is around the same time

Alexander disappears from
the historical record.

And this coincidence
extends to

the location of the tomb
of Saint Mark.

ANDREW: There's a medieval map,
which says that the body of

Saint Mark was discovered just
inside the eastern gate of

the medieval city.

That's a highly significant
location, because it

appears to have been
the central crossroads.

NARRATOR: The central crossroads
is where Alexander's

famous mausoleum
is said to have been.

That means there's
a coincidence in place

as well as
the coincidence in time.

NARRATOR: The chance discovery
of Saint Mark in

the location of Alexander's
mausoleum happens at

a suspicious time.

it's just when the worship of
non-Christian gods

is banned in Egypt and across
the Roman Empire.

Andrew believes
the body of Alexander

Andrew believes
the body of Alexander

the Great is purposefully
re-identified.

There are probably a couple of
strong reasons

for relabeling the body of
Alexander as Saint Mark.

The first of them
is that he was a god

of the Greco-Roman pantheon,

and that was embarrassing
when paganism had

just been made illegal.

The Christians also needed
a great icon to be a focus for

the worship of Christianity
in Alexandria,

and it seems they didn't have
the body of Saint Mark,

and it seems they didn't have
the body of Saint Mark,

because it had reputedly been
burnt in the 1st century AD.

NARRATOR: Andrew suspects
Alexander lies in

the tomb of Saint Mark
for 300 years,

until he is taken to Venice
in 828 CE,

and the Basilica di San Marco,
where he lies to this day.

Experts still search
for the lost tomb

of Alexander the Great.

It is one of history's most
enduring mysteries.

He is buried first in Memphis
before his body

is moved to the capital city
of his empire, Alexandria.

He is later reburied
in the Soma,

a mausoleum comparable in size
and grandeur

to the Seven Wonders
of the ancient world.

to the Seven Wonders
of the ancient world.

Though his tomb
vanishes from history,

his body
may survive.